26 people given fixed penalty notices over Alton car meet
Police were called to Blacknest Industrial Estate on Saturday evening (23 January)
Last updated 25th Jan 2021
Nearly 30 people have been handed fixed penalty notices following a car meet in Alton over the weekend.
Police were called out to Blacknest Industrial Estate at around 8:15pm on Saturday (23 January) where they found some of the drivers had come from Surrey, Berkshire, Kent and even Shropshire.
Officers say people inside the cars were from different households and many were not wearing face coverings.
Hampshire Police blocked off the car park to enable all those present to be identified.
The officers were engaging, explaining, and encouraging the members of the public to observe the current Health Protection Regulations in place.
26 people were reported for summons in relation to fixed penalty notices for blatant breaches of the regulations.
Superintendent Phil Lamb said it was a clearly unacceptable gathering:
“This was an excellent piece of team working by officers from Neighbourhoods, Response and Patrol, and Roads Policing.
“While our approach to engage, explain, and encourage people to follow the Health Protection Regulations continues, it was obvious that enforcement was required in these circumstances.
“Some of those people that officers spoke to accepted personal responsibility, but others were extremely defensive.
"It’s shocking that such a large number of people have completely ignored the current lockdown, thereby putting themselves and their loved ones at risk from the virus. It’s reckless actions like this that place increased and unnecessary pressure on the NHS.
“As per the government guidance, ‘stay local’ means stay in the village, town or part of the city where you live. The guidance strongly requests that people do not leave their local area.
“We all have a responsibility to follow both the regulations and the guidance in place to protect the NHS and save lives. I’d like to thank the vast majority of people in our communities who have been working hard to follow the rules, those who do not follow the regulations in place to limit the spread of the virus should expect to receive a fine.”